esthertakacs5455

Hello All!

Would appreciate your input on two possible Spain itineraries.
A little about us....We are an active family of four (2 adults and 2 easy-going teens) who love exploring by foot,bike, and train locations with beautiful architecture, fabulous food and lovely views. We enjoy exploring off the beaten path, meaning even if we are in a tourist-centered city or town we tend to prefer wandering down streets and eating at places that aren't particularly geared for tourists. We are visiting Spain for the first time and are hoping to see a lot of the typical sites but we would also like to leave space and time for the everyday experiences. We can only travel in the summer (mid June to early July) and thus, even though it will be very hot we are still looking at exploring some parts of Andalusia. We will be there for 20 nights and we are trying to decide between 2 possible itineraries. Would so appreciate the input of any and all who have visited these locations (particularly in the summer.) Thanks in advance for your help!
Itinerary 1:
Fly into Seville
4 Nights in Seville
3 Nights in Cordoba
3 Nights somewhere along the coast to have a break from the extreme heat inland ...Can't decide between Cadiz, Malaga, Nerja, or Estepona
3 Nights Granada
7 Nights in Barcelona and Surroundings
Fly out of Barcelona

Itinerary 2
Fly into Seville
4 Nights in Seville
3 Nights in Cordoba
3 Nights in Granada
6 Nights in Barcelona and Surroundings
4 Nights in Valencia
Fly out of Valencia

bilboburgler

I'd look again at Barcelona and environs. Going north up to the French border AND over into France is cycling heaven. Lots of off road, v low traffic routes and cycle hire companies. Girona is especially good for bikes. I recommend touring around.

jpie

I kind of like the second choice better although honestly I might skip Valencia this time and spend more time spread over the rest of the trip. We have done very long driving trips in all the areas you mention and during summer, it is going to be very busy near the coast. Around Barcelona we like the nearby beach at Castelldefels. It sounds like you won't have a car an the advantage with Castelldefels is that it is only a 25 minute ride on the "suburban train". I also think I would only spend 2 nights in Cordoba and increase the stay in Granada

So I might consider something like this

Fly into Seville
4 Nights in Seville
2 Nights in Cordoba
4 Nights in Granada
7 Nights in Barcelona
3 Nights in Castelldefels
Fly out of Barcelona

Another lovely beach town we love is Roses. Great walking, lots of good restaurants and lots of nice family teen activities in general. It would also allow you to explore the whole "Dali" area of Figueres. It is further to go than Castelldefels, about 1h30 to Figueres and 2h30 to Roses, but it is really a lovely area. So maybe in that case I would do:
Fly into Seville
4 Nights in Seville
2 Nights in Cordoba
4 Nights in Granada
6 Nights in Barcelona
4 Nights in Roses/Figueres area
Fly out of Barcelona

Granted you can also get to Valencia in around 2h30 but we just prefer the areas around Barcelona to Valencia-although I may be the outlier here.....

shelemm

Granada is higher altitude and does not have the extreme heat of Seville and Cordoba. In Granada, I recommend going to the Arab Quarter for dinner. Go see the twilight view of Alhambra from San Nicolas and explore the winding streets from there to placeta san miguel bajo.

esthertakacs5455

Thanks. Yes, Girona is on our list to see while in the Barcelona area. It looks lovely.

esthertakacs5455

I'm intrigued. I'll look more into Figueres and Roses. Thanks.

KarenWoo

If it wasn't for the extreme heat, I would vote for 3 nights in Cordoba and 3 nights in Granada. However, because you will be there in the summer, I agree with the posters who suggest spending 2 nights in Cordoba and 4 nights in Granada because it will be cooler.

I actually like your first itinerary because I suggest spending 3 nights in Malaga. We were in Malaga and we loved it! It's an under-rated city with so much to do, and the city center is beautiful. And you are right on the Mediterranean, so it will be cooler. I think it would be nice to get some respite from the Andalucian heat while you are in that part of the country. However, I can't really speak to the crowds. We were there in September 2017, and it was not horribly crowded. And not crowded at all on the beaches because summer tourism was winding down.

If you are willing to rent a car, I recommend spending a few nights in Cadaques, in the Roses/Figueres area. It's right on the Mediterranean and very close to Port Lligat where Dali's quirky home is located.

Whatever you do, please rent hotels that have pools. You will need some respite from the heat.

jpie

We have also spent a month in Nerja-more like your first proposed trip. It has a high expat British population which makes it a bit more broad in terms of restaurant choices but also gives it kind of a different feel than other beach areas we have stayed. There are some cool caves to visit near Nerja and that is a fun thing to do in the heat since it will keep you cool! https://www.cuevadenerja.es/

Also I meant to add that beaches anywhere are going to be busy-more so in July than June, so wherever you decide you might want to do the beach part in June before it get too busy and then save the city parts for July when more Spaniards will head to the beach. But summer in general will be busy because like you, folks with kids have to plan around school vacation times.

shelemm

You just have to change up a bit concerning the heat. Things will close down in the afternoon but open back up after the heat dissipates. And of course everyone eats dinner later anyway. I spent 3 nights in Cordoba and 3 in Granada, and I could have used more time in Cordoba.

KarenWoo

I love love Cordoba! We spent 2 nights in Cordoba and I would have loved to have an extra night or two. And ditto for Granada.

esthertakacs5455

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. You've given me a lot to ponder. Planning a trip to Spain has been a challenge because of the vast array of regions and choices for fabulous spots. Your expertise is invaluable!

debinthepeg

Agree, so many choices in Spain! Whatever you choose, you will enjoy it. Our first trip we travelled to Barcelona - 6 nights, Seville - 4 nights, Cordoba 2 nights and Ronda - 1 night. Loved them all and thought the time in each was great. We could have done one more night in Cordoba but we did manage to see what we wanted in the time we had. Thought we’d do more day trips from Barcelona, but with so much to see and do in Barcelona, we didn’t venture out of the city much. Our second trip included Madrid and Toledo. Great as well. I’m currently planning a trip to Malaga, Granada and Cadiz.

You sound like you travel as we do, not wanting to rush through a destination. My advice is to pick your top destinations and allow time to enjoy them. I had a number of optional day trips in my back pocket and knew if we weren’t able to do them all we could always go back!

We love the architecture and history too. My only other comment is that there are such amazing sites in the places we visited on our first trip that it was almost like sensory overload towards the end of it. I feel by the time we got to Seville at the end of our trip, we didn’t do the Cathedral and Alcazar justice because we had already seen so much. I couldn’t image adding the Alhambra to the mix on the same trip. That may be just us though and maybe not an issue for you.

esthertakacs5455

Debinthepeg,

Thanks for your insight. Yes, we try to slow down a bit when traveling so that we can soak up the atmosphere of each place. However, it is tricky to find that balance of "seeing all the sights" but leaving time to just be in a place and sit back and enjoy. We most likely won't be back in Spain anytime soon, so we do want to squeeze in as much in as possible while still being able to appreciate it all. Tricky business...but I love reading other's experiences so that I can rethink what will work best for us. Thanks again for sharing your trip experiences!